A family court judge in Dallas on Thursday ruled in a contentious and highly publicized custody case that a father of a 7-year-old boy has a say in the boy’s medical treatments, including the stated intentions of the boy’s mother to give him life-altering gender transition treatments.
The divorced parents, Jeffrey Younger and Dr. Anne Georgulas, have both sought sole custody over James Younger and his twin brother, Jude. A jury voted 11-1 earlier this week to grant Georgulas sole custody in her bid to gain control over all medical decisions for James, whom she has sought to present as a girl since he was 3, against Jeffrey Younger’s wishes. The judge’s ruling overrides the jury decision.
Jeffrey Younger testified in family court that James desires to dress and act like a boy when he is with him. The mother, a pediatrician, has stated her intent to seek chemical castration treatments to help James “transition” into a girl when he turns 8. She says she first began believing he desired to be a girl when he preferred a McDonald’s toy tailored for girls.
In granting the parents “joint conservatorship” over the boys, family court Judge Kim Cooks placed a gag order on Jeffrey Younger, forbidding him from speaking to the media about the case. Cooks denied the mother’s request that Jeffrey Younger be required to pay for James’ gender-related treatments.
In Georgulas’ effort to gain sole custody, she had requested the judge limit Jeffrey Younger’s visitation rights if he refused to affirm James as “Luna,” or if he referred to him by male pronouns or presented him as a boy outside the home. Georgulas had also asked the judge to require Jeffrey Younger to attend transgender education and sensitivity training.
Multiple witnesses testified that they have only seen James present as a boy with no signs that he wanted to be a girl.
Since kindergarten, Georgulas has presented James as a girl named “Luna,” which is how he is known to classmates.
After public outcry this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Twitter that the Texas attorney general’s office and state’s child protective services would be investigating the case.
In question is how the parents will work out differences they have over the boy’s medical treatments. Prior to the ruling, Georgulas had gained sole authority for his psychological and psychiatric care, shutting the father out of such decisions. She previously sought to get James treated with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, though the clinic that does the treatments had refused to do so without Jeffrey Younger’s approval, LifeSiteNews reported.
